Naruto stood on one side of the dirt field, shaking his limbs, stretching.
The last time they had fought, Naruto had only been able to use Wind style, in order not to show who he really was. This time, he didn't have this limitation.
On the other side of the field, Toru was still glaring at him, looking as though he was really looking forward to it.
Ino and Anko were both watching from the sidelines. Hopefully it wouldn't get too out of hand.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry I left like I did." Naruto said. "Or rather... That I didn't tell you."
"Oh, shut up! If that was the case, you had six years to fix it." Toru shot back.
Naruto dispelled the illusion Toru had cast while he was speaking. He shook his head. "More than three had gone by in a blink."
"I have no idea what you mean by this, but you'll have all the time in the world to grovel once I kick your ass!"
"Are you sure about this?" Naruto asked again.
"Kicking your ass?" He lifted an eyebrow.
"The fight itself."
"Of course I am." Toru snorted.
"You're really serious, then." Naruto nodded.
Toru pulled his sword out and Naruto summoned one out of thin air.
"…"
Toru said nothing, lost in the memory of the time he had seen this particular technique before. If he still had been looking for confirmation, there was no doubt anymore. This was the same Naruto, no matter if he looked nothing like the boy he had been.
"Are you two serious?" Ino asked, now worried. "Can't you just use your fists or something?"
"Leave them be." Anko waved off. "They'll be fine." That was how she settled her own conflicts, and she had turned out just fine.
Toru was staring at him, which Naruto knew, even though he was avoiding direct eye contact. His gaze was hard, as if he were staring at an enemy.
He knew how Toru tended to operate, and would not risk using any sort of Clone technique, as he would likely turn them against him anyway.
Naruto thought he was faster, but Toru had the Sharingan and his illusions. He could not afford to take this lightly.
Once more, he extended his chakra senses and checked for any trace of illusion, dispelling the auditive one he hadn't noticed. Toru was channeling more chakra toward his eye, too.
Their swords drawn, both of them were ready for anything.
'It's strange. I feel very… relaxed. Excited, almost.'
Something about the idea of testing himself in battle against Toru appealed to him, and he could not pretend it didn't.
Toru was strong.
A few months ago, they had been close to the same level of strength, Naruto had estimated. No, he likely had had a slight edge over the Uchiha.
Both of them had been through a lot since then, he was sure. Konoha was involved in a war, and Toru had been sent to fight. Naruto, on the other hand, had spent all his free time training to kill some of the strongest men and women in the world.
They both knew they were trying to figure out where they stood on the ladder.
Toru likely knew Naruto was faster than him, since he knew about his Lightning Style.
Naruto... knew that Toru would try to ensnare him from the start. If he hadn't managed to do so already with an illusion he had not noticed. There was only one way to play this out. He started channeling Elemental chakra from his core to his entire body.
The way he had visualized it for endless hours, after having observed the Raikage.
They stood there, unmoving, their eyes poised and their spirit indomitable.
'This time, he will use Lightning.' Toru knew. 'I can't parry his strikes, then, and he's stronger than me physically anyway.'
Which meant he would have to go all out from the beginning. The instant before he moved, he would predict Naruto's attack, dodge his blade, and force him into a triple-layered illusion. The order of which didn't matter, and one of them would-have to be chakra-triggered, since he was able to notice when he was into a Genjutsu.
That was the best way to beat him now.
The wind rustled.
Toru could see the Lightning chakra build up within Naruto's body, so much of it.
It spread from his core to his entire body, in a way that was not what he remembered from the former Sarutobi.
Toru saw Naruto's next move and got ready to deflect the strike once they met.
The Sarutobi... No, the Uzumaki was going for the straightest attack. He intended to move close to Toru, sword aimed at his throat. A textbook attack, and one Toru had countered many, many times before.
He would do the same today. He used chakra to enhance his reflexes, Sharingan spinning wildly.
Toru was ready, the first two illusions ready to be set. One through his blade, one through his eye. He would win this. He would-
Naruto moved like a demon.
There was no other word for it. Before Toru could even understand that the battle was already over, and long before he could wonder who would win, between Sasuke and Naruto.
Naruto was upon him, his sword close to his neck, the strike as straightforward as his Sharingan had seen... his eyes almost blue with electricity.
Toru then heard his own sword clatter to the ground, freed from his hand, after that.
"Your speed…" Toru muttered. "Incredible."
Naruto's eyes were strong, fixed on his own, unafraid. As though Toru's Sharingan was not staring back. Or as though he was confident in his ability to prevent the illusion from taking, even at this distance. Or maybe he just knew Toru would not try anything after this.
"I think this one is over." Naruto just said, the true Lightning Cloak fading away, and his eyes turning softer again.
Toru couldn't help it.
He started chuckling.
"Yeah." He finally said. "I think I lost this one."
"You're still paying for lunch, though." Toru said, once he, Ino and Naruto were seated in one of Umi's restaurants, one serving seafood.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And why should I? I won, fair and square. Lunch should be on you, if anything."
"That's not why."
"Then why?"
"For being a fucking dick, mostly."
Ino choked on her laughter. Naruto glared at her.
"He's right, you know." She just said, shrugging. "Pretending you were dead for years was a bit of a dick move."
Truth be told, she was very glad to see Toru again. He had always been her favorite, honestly. Sasuke was great and all, but he was, well… too intense about everything. Also, he would not have taken Anko's word that they were innocent so easily, Sharingan 'proving' it or not.
Naruto sighed and got his wallet out, while Toru made a whipping sound. Naruto paused.
"…Do you want to listen to the story… or do I need to beat you up again?" He asked, glaring at Toru.
"When did I ever lose…?" Toru frowned and Naruto rolled his eyes.
He launched into the tale of his continued survival once more, wondering if there was no way Ino could just help him show his memories or something to the same effect.
"I was born as Uzumaki Naruto, the son of…"
"So these two guys with the red clouds robes were from an actual organization?" Toru cut in.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded, somewhat annoyed at being cut off. "They didn't say much at the time, did they?"
"Nope. Never saw them after, either."
"Well, they're called Akatsuki, and they're after the Bijū, not just me… or not just Sasuke."
"What do they even want to do with them…?" Toru frowned. Bijū were forces of nature, and the most likely explanation was about accumulating power.
"Not entirely sure, but considering the shit they're pulling from the shadows — I'll get back to that… Nothing good."
"Yeah, right. Jumped into the future, you say?" Toru chuckled, slapping his back. "You crack me up, man."
Ino shrugged and Naruto said nothing, just raising his eyebrow. Toru trailed off awkwardly.
"Oh, you were serious, then. My bad. Go on."
"Wait, Karin and Sakura are here too?" Toru blinked.
"Sure." Ino nodded.
"Is this like a missing ninja convention? Wait…" He frowned. "I came here with Hanabi. Please tell me Neji's not around. Ah, no wait. He's Akatsuki, right? He gave that scroll to her."
"Yeah."
"I'm almost glad. Hate the guy."
"And a fucking Kage is being Sharingan hypnotized?" Toru almost shouted.
"At least one. That we know of." Naruto corrected, wincing at his volume.
"Why don't you warn the other villa-" Toru realized mid-sentence. "Yeah, okay. Missing ninja and all."
Ino winced.
"…I'll at least tell Sasuke, Itachi and my brother. About all that stuff." He decided.
Naruto blinked. "That's… a good idea. They will believe you though, won't they?"
"Of course, I just have to find a way to get in touch with them, which might be a bit of a pain, but I mean… we can teleport around, can't we?"
"Yeah". Naruto nodded.
"I don't think it's that easy to mail the front-lines or… a clan head, when there's a war going on." Ino deadpanned.
"Sure, sure." Toru waved off. "I'll find a way."
"And yeah, I would say that was most of it." Naruto finished, his throat parched. He greedily finished his glass of water.
"That's kind of a lot to take in." Toru muttered.
"I know."
"Mind if I take some time to think about it… and speak with Hanabi about all that?" She would need to be kept in the loop.
"Of course not. Take all the time you need." Naruto shook his head. "Here's how to find us, anyway. Eastern island, around the crater lake. The house that's not a spire."
"A spire…?"
"Orochimaru." Ino butted in, as though this explained everything.
"Ah. Okay...?" Toru nodded, filing the info somewhere with the rest of the island trivia.
"And ask Hideki about help with building a house, whenever you feel like it. Pick a place, tell him I sent you." Naruto finished.
"Okay, can you hear me?" Ino asked out loud, facing away from Naruto.
"Nope."
"Hmmm… Can you hear me now?"
"Still no."
"Damn." She cursed. "Maybe by focusing on the bond itself…?"
Naruto waited. Then he waited some more.
He and Ino — but mostly Ino, he was more of a guinea pig — were trying to figure out a way to use her telepathic abilities through the link. It was not the same thing as simply using one of her clan jutsu to communicate with somebody within her line of sight, since the bond would not be affected by distance.
Something came through the link. Several incomplete thoughts were streaming from her to him.
'llo?'
'no?-'
'hear-'
'hear.'
"Did you hear this?" Ino asked excitedly.
"Yes." Naruto nodded.
"You're smiling."
"How do you know? You're not looking at me."
"You sent... the emotion, I think." Naruto could tell her face was scrunched in concentration.
"How?"
"Not sure. Try… opening the bond more to let things go through?" Ino asked. "I'll start."
He could definitely feel some of her emotions, now.
Pride-Eagerness-Affection-Passion-Insecurity-Worry-Envy-Confusion
That's what Ino was broadcasting, right now, at least the emotions he could read. And she wanted him to do the same thing…?
Naruto barely held back a wince. There were more than a few reasons why he probably shouldn't do that.
But then again... she probably had her own reasons not to want to do it either. And she still did it. It would only be fair that he did the same.
Naruto reached for the connection to her mind — or maybe it was her soul, whatever that meant, really — and opened the link wide.
Ino stiffened, just looking at him — through their connected minds — with a wide-eyed expression.
She said nothing for a long, long while, and Naruto was starting to get worried.
'You feel like this… all the time?' Ino asked. Naruto could picture her in his mind, and she looked sad-worried-moved-nervous-tender-excited-horrified.
A… peculiar, complicated mix. It was strange, being able to tell that much.
'I'm not sure what you're talking about exactly, and I don't know if I really want to.' He sent back.
'It's… a bit of everything.' Ino started.
Naruto was pretty sure she also got too much information about the way he thought about her... and more unpleasant things like his sex drive. There was no way she was going to ask him about it, though.
'Like…?' Naruto wasn't sure how much she had seen.
'The… entities calling to you. This… thrill of battle. The Moon. Wind. Lightning. The... Storm.'
And something that wanted to break the world, too.
'Ah… This.' He thought with a wince. 'Yeah, it's been with me for a while now. It's louder sometimes, but I think I'll manage. I hope so. Ah. I didn't mean to send that. Or this.'
'I imagine. I'm better at compartmentalizing, but it took me years. It's no wonder you're broadcasting everything.'
'Ah. My bad.'
'Don't be. In a way, it's the first time you're being so open.'
'Way to make me feel good about it.' He paused. 'Too open, I guess?'
'I… No. But it's a lot to take in.'
Ino was pretty sure she now understood what Yugito had meant, the last time they had talked. He really wasn't very comfortable with the idea of committing to a single person. There would be no idyllic romance there, likely.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The constant calls of the world around him, that he heard at all times. How was he not absolutely insane already?
There was no doubt that Ino, as a Yamanaka, was fascinated by the human mind. And Naruto was one of the most peculiar minds she had ever seen, this much was getting clearer by the day. For good… and for bad.
It was sometimes hard to believe this used to be the grumpy, standoffish boy who had been a Sarutobi.
And she had been wrong, when she had thought he hadn't changed that much.
Growing up had made him a very different person. Many of his quirks were still the same, and he would always be Naruto to her…
But the crushing weight of responsibility, pressure, compromising his personal ethics, post-traumatic stress disorder — even for ninja standards — would have made most people give up already.
That was before even mentioning Indra's apparent mind games, before even mentioning the entities calling to him.
No, it was no wonder that Naruto had changed.
But… she found she could accept him as he was now, anyway.
And that made him a lucky man. Because he would need her — them, really — to keep him in line, and she wanted to be by his side.
'Okay.' She sent, instead, not feeling ready to be quite so open as to tell him this. 'I think I got the hang of it. Let me try to go through to Sakura.'
While Ino did exactly that, Naruto tried to figure out a few different things.
The fact that Toru and Hanabi had been brought in by Anko had reminded him of a glaring security issue. The intent-based barriers were working, as far as they knew, but if people from outside of Umi ever learned about them, they could be trained to hide that, likely. Even from themselves.
Which meant that they would need to bring people who intended to join the island to another place first, to make sure they were non-hostile, at least. This would not be that hard to manage, as they could just find another island, even just a few hundred kilometers away, to act as a temporary checking point.
He'd have to ask Ino how she felt about taking a boat trip, whenever they had some free time. Probably soon, then, because they would need to get back to the mainland.
Naruto had a little theory, one that he had no way to prove right now, one that concerned the bonds.
The... soul artifacts that had come during a time of need… were directly linked to that particular need. Which meant that desire and intent had influenced them.
Sakura had been half-unconscious at the time, but he was almost certain that her strongest desire at the time they had manifested the link had been escaping. At least, that was what his own had been. Her power could be a reflection of that.
Sasuke had wanted a way to win against Gaara, and so had Naruto. More than escaping, they had been looking for a weapon, for strength. And they had gotten a strong weapon in return, in the form of two swords. One of them, the short one, Sasuke had gifted to Toru, years ago. And Toru had managed to keep it manifested for the entire time, it seemed. Anko and Sakura had figured out how to do the same thing, apparently.
Karin was where things got a bit more muddled. There had been no true need. And Naruto was almost sure that because of it, the artifact that had come out as a result had been linked to her own unique abilities. Water and Earth were her affinities, after all. And they were, according to a few books on the topic, closer to Nature than the other three main elements. For the same reason, Wood Style was supposed to be the easiest to blend with natural energy.
Which meant that Yugito, as Fire and Soul, and with no express need at the time they had somehow bonded, likely would have an artifact do with her nature. It came in the form of a hakama, Ino had said.
Ino who would be linked to Yin, he was almost sure.
Though how to make sense of it all, Naruto didn't know.